Sharp County record., 1887-08-25
ABOUT SCHOOL TEACHING.

ABOUT SCHOOL TEACIlNG,
Fellow Teachers, as our dear Ed. mas
given US space in the RECORD for exchange
of methods, let us at once bagln to make
use of it. 1t is fact that our tax payers
and the people should know more shout
what we are doing in the schools, and the
teachers too need to know more about
the people. The tendency at present is
toward closer union of effort between
teachers and parents. The ways and
means and worth of the school are better
known to parents than formerly. Schools
are conducted with more regard for the
wishes and interests of the Taxpayers.
In many counties the channel of inter-
course between the schools and the parents
is the county paper, containing an ednca-
tionaI column. II our teachers wake up
the county paper and through it wake up
the community to the value and impoT-
tanee of their work, great good Will be-
done. A common interest will unite US
in the bonds of sympathy and good5fel-
lowsbip. We have all seen teachers who
we're 80 self satisfied that they seemed
to thnir own minds-to have roundeixthe
circle of teaching, made the circle Of
knowledge and skill complete, and closed
their minds against the entrance Cs all
future impressions. Such can '.aver
learn till the barriers of conceit b, nd
lSEh.ie ~ ! .1sol- eu:sene':e>. +sloai,
selves. are broken down. There are others
who stand Ike empty pitchers waiting to
be filled; they accept any and all methods
which are popular or have some show of
authority. Such teachers are merely i'm
itators, and will change every twenty four
hours. No one WAS ever great by lmita"
ton; initiative power meyer leads up to
creative power. There are teachers who
have some good ways, but who are SO preju-
diced that they have no regard for any
thing outside of their OWE work. They
cling to the old methods and have a ready
made objection to the new, and have ceas-
ed to examine. Facts are the eyes
through which we see laws, There is no
better founded pedagogical rule than that
the facts must be known before choice
can be made. 1t follows. then, logically,
first, that we cannot know which is the
better of the two methods without know
ing both; second, that we cannot know
which is the last without knowing all; and
third, that we cannot know any method
without knowing the principles which the
method applies. The great difficulty in
the way is, that teachers are not willing
to pay the price of genuine success-that
is they are not willing to put their shoul-
ders to the wheel and work themselves.
They want others to do the work and let
them sit with their arms folded. The
teacher who is not willing to put in his
time for the interest of his school should
not bear the name of teacher. What
we want are teachers that are alive and
willing to work. The demand for good
teaching was never 80 great as now, and
no matter where you 20 if your work is
good it will attract attention. Teachers.
| let US turn over new leaf and do more
for the cause Of education in the future
than we have ever done in the past. If
we are aiming to follow the profession, let
US prepare ourselves for the field. We
may expect to meet trials in our path, but
! let US be guide and meet them face to
face. If you are not as we'll furnished
with black boards, maps, charts. aud globes
as you would like to be, do not be discour.
aged, but set out to have them if you
have them to buy yourself, Do not think
that few dollars spent in this way is lost.
You will reap your reward in the future.
Do everything you can to set forth an IN
terest in your school. A great many
teachers do not try to make their schools
what they ought to be. They teach for
the dollar and not for the advancement of
their schools, and just so long as these
teachers are retained in the school room
just tina. long will our public schools be a
failure, The teacher who will not prepare
himself fo- Lis work should not be allow
ed t. teach. l have talked with several
of the teachers of this county and it is not
one out of ten that are reading any works
op education. They do not seem to want
to know anything about the education of
other states and such teachers iud them
selves always in the way. Teachers, we
must be up and doing. Let us hear from
you. Have word for our column every
week. Give US your methods. Ask for
information when you think it is wanting.
| shall make my next more direct on
methods. Every teacher in the county
should write line for our next column.
Respectfully, W. w. HALL,
Canton Ark